Light Light and Darkness

Light

Light and Darkness

“Everything that matters to you happens between your two ears” WMS

What goes on in your mind brings happiness or sadness

What goes on in your mind is either light or darkness

The problem is

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. John 3:19

Many will question the validity of the Truth

The answer is this

True Light always gives Life

Jesus was and is the Light of the World

Because the Light He lived in overcame death

Jesus died, but the darkness of the grave could not hold Him

Could not stop the True Life

The Light Jesus shared with us gave Him life even though He died

That same True Light has the power of giving us Life after Death

If you want real life and life eternal

Than you must invite the True Light between your ears

To expose the darkness in your mind

Light and Darkness

“Everything that matters to you

happens between your two ears.” WMS

What goes on in your mind

brings happiness or sadness.

What goes on in your mind

is either light or darkness.

The problem is…

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world,

but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.

John 3:19

The mind is an amazing thing,

it can change very quickly

like the speed of light.

With a word, we can change

from sad to happy or glad to sad.

The Gospel of John is full of metaphors…

“A figure of speech in which a word or

phrase is applied to an object or action

to which it is not literally applicable.”

When we come upon metaphors, we

need to look for its literal application.

John 1:4 and 5 says in the AMP…

In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.

And the Light shines on in the darkness,

for the darkness has never overpowered

it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it,

and is unreceptive to it].

John 1:4, 5

The Life of Jesus was the Light of Men.

And the Light shines in darkness

and darkness cannot overcome it.

Darkness cannot overcome light,

 but light always overcomes darkness.

If Light equals Life and Darkness equals Death…

We have a hard time understanding because

we see Death overtaking Life all the time.

With Jesus there is an exception…

 Death and Darkness could not overcome Him.

All the people Jesus spoke to died,

the darkness of the grave covered them.

John the Baptist said he was not the Light,

 but testified (reflected the

Light like the Moon) to the Light.

All of us need to be like John,

reflecting the Light of Christ.

So what is the literal meaning of these metaphors?

When Jesus came into the world,

 He came as Light into the World.

The Light was not to give light

to the earth, but to our minds.

  

“Everything that matters to you

happens between your two ears.” WMS

These metaphors in the Gospel of John

are about Light coming to our minds.

Not just words that would make

us feel better, but Words of Truth.

The problem we all have is we like darkness.

All of us have things we don’t

want others to know about us.

There are thoughts we want to keep in

the dark so others and God can’t see.

We don’t always realize the darkness in our minds.

Darkness that keeps us from understanding.

How many times we look back

on our lives and say…

 “If I had only known I would have done things differently.”

  So there is darkness in our minds

we do not want and darkness we love.

But all darkness kills life.

The Urban Dictionary says…

“Darkness is found in our deepest parts of mind, somewhere more important than the heart. A cold place where we cannot see into because every time we look we can’t see anything other than the light we let in.

This force moves any person into making moral choices that do not involve gaining any kind of benefit therefore not taking interest in martial or feeling related possessions. Love is seemly turned into a cold void of reality and money has no meaning other than an object of oppression. Pain is replaced with understanding and fear is used to destroy hate instead of coming from it.”

The Urban Dictionary is far from the Gospel,

 but it shows from a world point of view of darkness

being in the mind and its effects on moral choices.

Jesus came into the world to shine

the Light of Truth in our minds.

He came to make us think,

to search for Truth which is the

only Light that will remove darkness.

John the Baptist said he was not the Light,

he functioned like the moon reflecting the

True Light upon others so they would

repent of the darkness in their minds.

You and I need to do the same…

 To share the Truth so the darkness of

people’s minds might be dispelled.

Many will question the validity of the Truth.

The answer is this…

True Light always gives Life.

Jesus was and is the Light of the World

because the Light He lived in overcame death.

Jesus died, but the darkness of the grave

could not hold Him, could not stop the True Life.

The Light Jesus shared with us gave

Him life even though He died.

That same True Light has the

power of giving us life after death.

If you want real life and life eternal…

Then you must invite the True Light between your ears

to expose the darkness in your mind.

“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.”

Ephesians 4:17-19

Scripture Reading

John 1:4-14 AMP

4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.

5 And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].

6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. [Mal 3:1.] 

7 This man came to witness, that he might testify of the Light, that all men might believe in it [adhere to it, trust it, and rely upon it] through him.

8 He was not the Light himself, but came that he might bear witness regarding the Light.

9 There it was — the true Light [was then] coming into the world [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] that illumines every person. [Isa 49:6.] 

10 He came into the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him [did not know Him].

11 He came to that which belonged to Him [to His own — His domain, creation, things, world], and they who were His own did not receive Him and did not welcome Him.

12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name —  [Isa 56:5.] 

13 Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!] 

14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. [Isa 40:5.] 

John 1:6 AMP

5 And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].

John 3:19-21 NIV

19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light , and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." 

Ephesians 4:17-24 NIV

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.